1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to adjustable seats for automobiles and more particularly to a seat slide adjuster mechanism having a pair of guide rails slidable relative to each other for supporting the vehicle seat for back and forth movement.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a conventional device, a seat retaining mechanism for retaining the seat in a desired or adjusted position includes a detent member and a manually operable lever member connected to the detent by an appropriate connecting procedure, such as welding. The conventional seat adjuster device is also designed to provide a bracket or connecting pin attached to a fixed or stationary guide rail for pivotally supporting the manual lever member.
Such a conventionally constructed device is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,062,592 patented on Nov. 6, 1962. In this patent, a detent member 14; 16 and a manually operable lever 22 are separately formed and are then connected to each other by means of rivets 23. A supporting means 15 (in this case pivotal pin 15) is also provided on the detent member 14 for pivotally supporting the same as well as the lever 22 connected thereto, on a slidable rail 18.
The above conventional construction has several problems to be solved, which may be summarized as follows:
(A) The lever and the detent actuated thereby must be separately formed and thereafter both are connected to each other by means of appropriate connecting means (complexity of manufacturing procedure);
(B) THERE MUST BE PROVIDED A FURTHER CONNECTING MEANS BY WHICH THE LEVER DETENT ASSEMBLY IS OPERATIVELY OR PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED ON THE STATIONARY RAIL (INCREASE IN CONSTRUCTIONAL PARTS); AND
(C) THE LEVER PORTION MUST BE POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY APART FROM THE GUIDE RAILS IN ORDER TO BE SWUNG ABOUT THE PIVOTAL POINT NOT TO BE INTERFERRED WITH BY THE RAILS (INCREASE IN REQUIRED SPACE WITHIN THE LIMITED VEHICLE INTERIOR SPACE).